UH's Weber to lead Houston Symphony Chorus

July 18, 2014

Photo: Courtesy Photo

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Betsy Cook Weber

Betsy Cook Weber

Photo: Courtesy Photo

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(For the Chronicle/Gary Fountain, January 19, 2014)
"Faith Healer" was a highlight of Stark Naked Theatre's last season; shown (from left) are stars Philip Lehl, Kim Tobin-Lehl and John Tyson. The company will be promoting its 2014-15 season as part of Spring Street Studio's open house this week. less

(For the Chronicle/Gary Fountain, January 19, 2014)
"Faith Healer" was a highlight of Stark Naked Theatre's last season; shown (from left) are stars Philip Lehl, Kim Tobin-Lehl and John Tyson. The company will ... more

Celan Bouillet's "Hanging Gardens," an acrylic on canvas measuring 72 inches by 56 inches, was awarded one of three $1,000 prizes in Lawndale Art Center's 2014 The Big Show. Peter Broz's acrylic-on-panel "Tower" and Laura Pregeant's mixed-media mobile "Places Unheard" also won. Their works were among 115 chosen for the exhibition by guest juror Erin Elder of the Center for Contemporary Art in Santa Fe. The Big Show is on view through Aug. 9 at 4912 Main; 713-528-5858, lawndaleartcenter.org. FREE less

Betsy Cook Weber, director of choral studies at the University of Houston's Moores School of Music, will take charge of the Houston Symphony Chorus in September as longtime director Charles Hausmann steps down.

Hausmann, director of graduate choral conducting at the Moores School, has led the symphony chorus since 1986, working with conductors including Hans Graf, Christoph Eschenbach and Robert Shaw.

"After 28 years of service, including over 700 performances of over 150 different major works in collaboration with more than 40 international conductors, I believe it is time to pursue other professional opportunities at the University of Houston and elsewhere," Hausmann said in a statement. "I will certainly miss my work with the Houston Symphony and Chorus, but I leave with an immense sense of accomplishment and satisfaction."

The Houston Symphony, which administers the chorus, is giving Hausmann the title of director emeritus of the chorus. Mark Hanson, the orchestra's executive director, congratulated Hausmann on "a job incredibly well done." "It is rare to find a person who can successfully lead an ensemble through nearly three decades of artistic achievement and growth," Hanson said. "In Charles Hausmann we have such a leader."

Weber returns to the chorus after serving as its assistant director in the 1990s. Her choirs at the university, including the Moores School Concert Chorale, have won prizes in contests in the United Kingdom and Germany.

"It is unlikely that anyone will ever match Charles' longevity as director of this wonderful chorus, and for this and many reasons, I am very happy that the Houston Symphony has decided to award him the title, director emeritus," Weber said in a statement. "I am humbled and honored by the opportunity to build upon and further his legacy."

Weber will begin by preparing the symphony chorus for November performances of Mozart's Requiem and Johannes Brahms' "Song of Destiny," which will be conducted by the orchestra's new music director, Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Choral works in store later in the season include Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem, George Frideric Handel's "Messiah" and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 3.

Steven Brown

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Spring Street Studios will host an open house at 5-9 p.m. Thursday - a chance to sample the work of the more than 60 creative artists and companies headquartered there.

For theater patrons, it's an opportunity to learn about the 2014-15 seasons of Stark Naked Theatre Company and Mildred's Umbrella Theatre Company, the resident companies that present their shows in Studio 101, the center's performance venue.